There are many situations when you might want to be able to change your own tires. You may be driving down the road and get a flat tire and need to be able to change it on the side of the road by yourself.
Or you might just want to save some money by avoiding taking it to a professional and changing your own tires at home.
But if you’ve never changed a tire on your own, it can seem pretty daunting. And especially if you don’t have a lot of car experience, you might not even know where to start.
But knowing how to change our own tires is a great skill to have. And once you learn how to do it, changing your tires can be easy and hassle free.
Get the Necessary Equipment
In order to be able to change your tires, you’ll need certain equipment. Some items you may already have on hand and some you may need to buy. The basic equipment you’ll need is:
– Fully inflated spare tire
– Jack
– Lug wrench
– Vehicle owner’s manual
– Flashlight with working batteries
– Wheel wedges
– 2”x6” cut of wood to secure the jack
– Gloves
– Rain jacket
Some of these items should have come with your vehicle when you bought it. If for some reason they didn’t come with your car or you’ve lost them, make sure you replace them as soon as possible.
For other items, such as the flashlight and rain jacket, you’ll want to purchase them on you own and keep them in your trunk or glove box.
These additional items will make it easier to change your tires in any circumstance. Keep them organized and in one location so that when you go to replace your car tires, you know exactly where to get the equipment.
It’s important to have the right equipment in your car at all times. It’s no good if you know how to change a tire but don’t have the necessary equipment on you when you need it.
That’s why you need to keep these items in your car instead of just having them at your house. They don’t take up too much space and can really help you out in a pinch.
It’s also crucial that you make sure your spare tire is always fully inflated. If you’ve had it in your car for a while and haven’t checked it, go ahead and do that as soon as possible.
It’s a good idea to check your spare tire’s air pressure every time you check your regular tires’ air pressure, which should be about once a month.
Continue reading the article and learn more about tire change on Paul Verbiton’s blog.